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Global COVID-19 cases have breached the 33 million mark as infections continue to soar worldwide. The official death count is around one million, as China is at it again, urging domestic companies to halt frozen imports of food from countries that have been severely impacted by the pandemic due to the risk of transmission through packaging, reported Bloomberg.
This isn't the first time China has tried to portray imported foods as a threat. Readers may recall, when the first post-lockdown cluster was found in Beijing and traced to a wholesale market in the southwestern parts of the city, officials there said traces of salmon tested positive. This resulted in a nationwide boycott that led to thousands of tons of imported salmon being thrown in the trash.
In July, we also noted imports of shrimp from Ecuador were found to be carrying the virus, well, not the shrimp itself, but, according to China, the packaging had traces of the virus.
Now the Beijing city government on Monday warned companies to avoid importing frozen food from countries where the virus is rampant. This comes after China found its first local asymptomatic infection in more than a month as two workers at a port in Qingdao city tested positive after unloading frozen seafood.
In recent weeks, China halted seafood imports from two Russian vessels and a Brazilian company after the virus was found on packaging. Individual food plants in Ecuador, Brazil, and Indonesia have seen their exports to China ground to a halt as well.
Bloomberg notes that "cold-storage facilities and meat-processing plants are ideal environments for the virus to thrive, there has been no concrete evidence the virus can be transmitted through food and packaging, and experts remain doubtful that it's a major threat."
In August, China's top virus expert advised the government to limit imports of frozen food to mitigate the spreading of the virus. The FDA has said it's "not aware of any evidence" that links the transmission of the respiratory virus to food.
Virus scares tied to imports is just another tool for Beijing to keep the narrative alive that the virus originated outside China - Beijing has been caught implicitly supporting these conspiracy theories. Maybe they've learned this time to be more subtle.


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More and more conscientious consumers care about where their food comes from, according to independent butchers across Wales.
In a survey conducted by red meat agency Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), butchers reported that nearly half (49%) of their customers have been asking about the origin and traceability of the meat they sell in recent months.
The survey was conducted to assess butchers’ overall opinion of the latest POS kits which included posters and pamphlets produced by HCC and have reportedly boosted business and sales of red meat. It revealed that 42% of independent butchers said that their sales of Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef have increased since receiving the seasonal marketing material.
The POS kits produced for the Autumn and Winter seasons included promotional posters and recipe leaflets and were distributed to HCC’s 300-strong Butchers’ Club, a network of specialist shopkeepers who are dedicated to providing the best Welsh Beef and Welsh Lamb on the high street.
80% of these butchers reported that the latest kits were ‘very good’ and some of the feedback received said that “all customers like to have the recipes, [and the kits] also help our sales,” “we are always happy to receive these kits,” and “lovely recipes for Christmas.”
HCC’s Market Development Manager Rhys Llywelyn said: “It is important that the materials we produce to promote our red meat products are in line with what the industry needs and wants. Our Autumn/Winter POS kits have clearly struck a chord with members of our butchers’ club and with the public who have been buying more branded Welsh meat and are more aware of where their food comes from.
“It was also interesting to see that 47% of butchers believe that added value and traditional cuts are of equal importance which demonstrates a need to invest in product innovation and to maintain consumer demand in traditional cuts of meat.”
Pontardawe butcher Clinton Roberts said: “We are always pleased to receive HCC’s free marketing materials and our customers really like them too! At this time of year, people are keen to serve something special for family and friends; a locally produced joint of red meat is a perfect centrepiece for your Christmas table.”
The butchers reported that the most popular lamb cuts were chops, legs and shoulders, and for beef, customers have recently bought more topside joints, followed by mince and steaks.
The recipe suggestions included in the leaflets used a range of different cuts and were submitted by some of the UK’s foremost food writers and bloggers who worked with HCC to develop new dishes with PGI Welsh Lamb. These included famous food writer and television personality Gizzi Erskine, Ren Behan, a regular contributor to Jamie Oliver’s website, and Becky Wiggins.

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The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday finalized long-awaited rules that will require U.S. food manufacturers to make detailed plans to identify and prevent possible contamination risks in their production facilities.
The new regulations, which will apply to the production of both human and animal foods, mark the first step in a broader effort to make the nation's food safety system more proactive, rather than merely reacting to outbreaks after they occur.
The rules released Thursday represent a cornerstone of a far-reaching law passed nearly five years ago by Congress, which aimed to overhaul the nation's food safety system for the first time in generations. The FDA said it expects to finalize additional rules regarding the growing and packaging of produce, as well as requirements that imported foods meet U.S. safety standards, in coming months.
Contaminated foods sicken an estimated 48 million Americans annually, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and roughly 3,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A wide range of tainted foods, from cookie dough to cheese to caramel apples, have caused outbreaks even in the years since the law's passage. In recent days, for instance, an ongoing outbreak of salmonella-tainted cucumbers has infected 341 people and caused two deaths across 30 states.
FDA officials said the new rules finalized Thursday are intended to make companies more accountable for preventing contamination of their products to begin with, and making sure that any tainted foods never reach consumers.
"The food safety problems we experience have one thing in common -- they are largely preventable," said Michael Taylor, the FDA's top food safety official, adding that the new regulations "are not one-size-fits-all requirements. They are risk-based, targeted and flexible."
Taylor said many food manufacturers already have in place strict protocols to prevent bacteria and allergens from contaminating their products, and that the new rules draw from widely accepted best practice in the industry, as well as from extensive conversations with large and small producers.
"Why it’s great is for the first time, food processors are going to be required to take steps to prevent contamination, especially the kind of contamination that makes people sick," said Sandra Eskin, director of food safety for The Pew Charitable Trusts. "We should see, hopefully, fewer recalls and fewer illnesses linked to processed foods. It will take awhile, but that was the goal of this law."
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents a large swath of the nation's food and beverage industry and had at times clashed with the FDA's regulatory efforts, also praised Thursday's rules and the agency for the "deliberative and inclusive approach it took in developing these regulations."
The FDA said it will phase in the new requirements over time, beginning late next summer. Some businesses, such as those with fewer than 500 employees, will have longer to comply.
Advocates said Thursday that even as the key elements of the food safety law are put into place, Congress must give the FDA sufficient funding to oversee the new rules.
"We do need additional resources to enforce this law effectively," Taylor said.
Eskin noted that while President Obama had requested more than $109 million in his most recent budget for food safety initiatives, proposals in the House and Senate have included no more than $45 million.
"It's less than half of what the FDA needs," she said. "This is crunch time; it's a critical point."


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In an effort to be more eco-friendly, Marriott announced they will no longer be providing single-use, travel-sized toiletry bottles in their hotel room bathrooms.
The hospitality giant revealed the news in a press release Tuesday, sharing that when the initiative fully rolls out by December 2020, they will have saved about 1.7 million pounds of plastic or about 500 million mini bottles from going into landfills, as the current containers are not typically recycled.
“Our guests are looking to us to make changes that will create a meaningful difference for the environment while not sacrificing the quality service and experience they expect from our hotels,” said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International.
In lieu of the single-use bottles, Marriott will be providing shampoo, conditioner and bath gel in the form of larger, pump-topped recyclable bottles. To date, Marriott announced, they have tested the initiative in 1,000 properties in North America.
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The company is already thinking ahead to how they can remove other single-use items from their guest rooms beyond the bathroom.
This isn’t Marriott’s first green initiative, either. The company first began reducing its plastic intake 13 months ago with the phasing out of disposable straws and stirrers. Marriott reported an “estimated annual diversion of 1 billion plastic straws from landfills,” according to the release.
The move is part of an industry-wide shift, according to the Washington Post, which notes that InterContinental Hotels Group took similar steps in July, while Hyatt is instituting the bulk dispensers at particular test properties. Disney hotels and cruise ships have not had single-use toiletries since last year.
Source: Read Full Article


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Whether they realize it or not, the main factor that helps consumers to decide on a new television for video device is the ability to connect -- either to the Internet for streaming, or with other members of their family.
According to a study conducted by GfK for the Council for Research Excellence, smart TVs and/or OTT streaming devices were among the top devices selected by households participating in a 50-household qualitative study. (Purchases in the study were monitored by self-reporting, behavior and usage surveys, and follow-up interviews.) Meanwhile, the dominant consideration for these shoppers was the availability of content, whether in the form of streaming, live watching or casting from one device to another.
“It comes back to the tech adoption curve, [and] that ease-of-use is crucial to getting into the market,” Bryon Schafer, who serves as chair of the CRE's Digital Research Committee and is senior vice president, Warner Bros. Media Research & Insights, tells Marketing Daily. “Consumers in the purchase funnel are looking for a better means to an end, and they’re looking for what they want, when they want it.”
Despite the adjustment in consumer preference about access to content, what has not changed is the role that television plays within the household. Once the TVs with OTT access were introduced into a household, they tended to generate a lift in group viewing and the sets remained the dominant video-viewing device, even when other devices were present in the same room, according to the study.
“People are not abandoning [their televisions],” says Laura Cowan, director, analytics and insight at MEC, who led the team conducting the study. “There’s multiple screens to choose from in the home. It’s the use of [of the television] that’s changing.”
Indeed, results from a “longitudinal ethnography” study of 100 households that ran concurrently with the 50-household “acceleration study” found even as consumers have moved to a multi-source, multi-device model for video content a family is likely to watch the main television set early in the evening on weeknights before retreating to separate rooms to watch individualized content on other devices.
The notion of connection — both to the Internet and with other family members — could be a powerful one with consumers as makers of smart TVs and other OTT devices look to increase market share, according to the authors.
“Convenience, control and ease of use trumps better picture and sound every time,” Schafer says.


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Consumers in the market for new appliances can cash in on some savings this President's Day weekend if they opt for energy-efficient models.
This Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the comptroller's office of Maryland is waving sales taxes for consumers who purchase qualified Energy Star products or a solar water heater.
Here are the products:
- Air conditioners
- Clothes washers and dryers
- Heat pumps
- Solar water heaters (tax-exempt at all times now)
- Standard size refrigerators
- Programmable thermostats
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs
Tax breaks are available starting at 12:01 a.m. Saturday through midnight on Monday.
Energy Star is U.S. government program that certifies products for their energy efficiency. The label can found on everything from washers and dryers to refrigerators.
Best Buy says it sells more than 2,000 products that qualify.
For more information, check the state Comptroller's web site.


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Nvidia has officially unveiled the worlds first quad-core mobile processor, the Tegra 3.
According to PhysOrg, the new chip is based on the ARM Cortex-A9 processor, which was notable for its low power consumption, and the Tegra 3 is reported to offer five times the performance capacity of its predecessor with just 61 per cent of its power consumption.
It utilises four processor cores as well as a fifth ‘companion core’, which is designed to handle less intensive additional tasks such as background updates and listening to music.
The device is expected to give a huge boost to the tablet category, and has already been deployed in the Asus Eeepad Transformer Prime.
See the video below for a comparison between the Tegra 3 and its competition.


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The NBA Finals aren't just a matchup of LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors.
It's also a head-to-head (or foot-to-foot?) battle between athletic apparel giants Nike and Under Armour. And after Game 1, Under Armour is winning -- despite LeBron's monster night in an overtime thriller.
That's because Curry is an Under Armour spokesman. The Curry One shoe came out earlier this year. (Curry actually was with Nike before joining Under Armour in 2013.)
LeBron has his own line of Nike ( sneakers. Nike, like LeBron, already has a championship pedigree. But )Under Armour ( and Curry want to show the world that they are the new kings of basketball. )
Here's a more detailed look at how the two companies stack up against each other.
The stats. Nike remains the dominant player in the industry. The company reported sales of $7.5 billion in its most recent quarter. The stock is in the blue chip Dow Jones industrial average. Nike is worth $88 billion.
By way of comparison, Under Armour's latest quarterly sales were $805 million. And the company's market value is $17 billion.
But Under Armour -- the David to Nike's Goliath -- has a lot going for it.
Its sales rose 25% in the first quarter. Nike's revenues were up 13%.
Under Armour's stock has soared 16% this year compared to a 7% gain for Nike. It's a continuation of a trend. Shares have outperformed Nike by a wide margin over the past few years as well.
Wall Street is also predicting that Under Armour's earnings will increase 23% annually over the next few years -- nearly double Nike's projected growth rate.
The celebrities. In addition to its deal with Curry, Under Armour also sponsors Jordan Spieth -- who became a golf superstar this April after he won the Masters in a performance reminiscent of all-time greats Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady endorses Under Armour, too.
And even though Brady's reputation has taken a hit after he was suspended for the "Deflategate" scandal, he is still a 3-time Super Bowl MVP and reigning champ. (Silly Pete Carroll!)
But Nike is no slouch when it comes to star athletes either of course.
LeBron's teammate Kyrie Irving is on the Nike payroll. So are other NBA stars, such as Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. Kevin Durant stayed with Nike after getting a big offer last year to jump ship for Under Armour.
And a former player you may have heard of also still represents the Swoosh. Michael Jordan.
Outside of basketball, Nike also has deals with Spieth rival Rory McIlroy and tennis stars Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.
Who does Wall Street like best? Sam Poser, an analyst with Sterne Agee CRT, has a "buy" rating on Under Armour and a "neutral" on Nike.
Poser said that while Nike's business is "phenomenal," he is worried about the stock's valuation.
Nike trades at nearly 26 times earnings estimates for its next fiscal year.
Under Armour is much more expensive -- at about 54 times 2016 profit forecasts -- but Poser thinks Under Armour is worth it because of its sales and earnings momentum.
Susan Anderson, an analyst with FBR Capital Markets & Co., agrees. She said Under Armour deserves the premium price and has the stock rated an "outperform" while Nike is a "market perform."
"Nothing is necessarily wrong with Nike. It's just not growing as much," she said.
Poser said Under Armour has more to gain from NBA Finals exposure than Nike does since Under Armour is a smaller company. Nike, Poser says, is already "the big Kahuna" of sports.
If Curry plays well and the Warriors win, that could really boost Under Armour's awareness significantly around the world.
"Under Armour is really hitting their stride as they look to break into footwear even more," Anderson said, adding that Under Armour could steal market share from Puma and Adidas ( as it moves closer to Nike. )
"They have so much more room to grow. Their market share in international is still very tiny," she said. "The emergence of Curry is perfect timing."


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Expert racing video game and simulator opinion, arcade to sim, retro to new. Traxion’s features discuss the latest gaming hot topics.
How v0.28 is another step forward for BeamNG.drive
We take a hands-on look at BeamNG.drive's latest v0.28 update, featuring two remastered cars and a revamped version of the Automation Test Track.
April 5, 2023
How the On The Edge DLC showcases what RaceRoom does best
We've been testing the latest three cars to be added to RaceRoom Racing Experience, as the sim racing platform gears up for a bumper 2023.
April 5, 2023
G2 Sim Racing: Adding entertainment to ESL R1
We discuss G2 Sim Racing's aims for ESL R1 and thoughts on Rennsport with the team's Head of Sim Racing Nathan Tague.
April 4, 2023
BeamNG.drive Mod of the Month, April 2023
In a new monthly feature, we showcase our favourite BeamNG.drive mod. For our first article, we put on our water wings and highlight the hilarious Flood mod.
April 3, 2023
Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure review: More of the same
We love Forza Horizon 5, and the Rally Adventure's attempts at accessible rallying are noble. But really, this is all about exploring a new area and those oh-so-tasty existing reward loops
Formula Retro Racing: World Tour review – flashback fun
The sequel to 2020's arcade-aping low-poly racer expands the concept with a deluge of new cars, tracks, a drift mode and even a unique way of implementing virtual reality.
Why TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 is unlike any other motorcycle game
The official game of the Isle of Man TT races, Ride on the Edge 3 is trying to be an open-world accessible simulator. We visited the Milan-based developers to see how its shaping up ahead of a May release.
March 30, 2023
Why LEGO 2K Drive has been five years in the making
LEGO 2K Drive isn't the work of a moment, in fact, it's been half a decade of dedication by a new team with prior arcade racing game experience.
March 25, 2023
Lego 2K Drive is your family’s next driving game
We've driven LEGO 2K Drive, the new open-world, co-op, online, customisable racing game that aims to be family-friendly fun.
March 23, 2023
Was Ridge Racer Unbounded the most brilliantly barmy publishing decision ever?
Justin Towell goes back to the streets over 10 years after the brief but complete bemusement. Did Ridge Racer Unbound signal the death knell of the series?
March 21, 2023


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Record sales at Jaguar Land Rover have failed to turn into higher profits as rising investment costs put the brakes on the car maker’s performance.
On the 10th anniversary since its acquisition by India’s Tata, the Coventry-based company posted a 6pc rise in annual revenues to £25.8bn on the back of retail sales that rose 1.7pc to 614,309 vehicles – both new highs.
However, pre-tax profit fell 6pc to £1.5bn. The company attributed the decline in profit to rising investment in the new technology and facilities, with spending of £4.2bn – some £800m higher than last year.
Drivers shunning diesel in the UK, where the vast majority of the company’s cars are powered by the fuel, contributed to a 12.8pc sales drop in JLR’s home market, while Europe was also down, slipping 5.3pc.
Ralf Speth, chief executive, said: “Despite external headwinds, these results reflect the underlying strengths of JLR as demand in key overseas markets offsets challenging conditions in the UK and parts of Europe.”
However, China, the world’s biggest automotive market and country where JLR sells the most cars, was strong. Sales there rose 19.9pc, continuing to rebound after a slowdown caused by an anti-graft crackdown there three years ago. The US rose by 4.7pc and other overseas markets were 3.4pc better.
JLR displayed its plug-in electric Range Rover with a stunt in China, hightlighting the importance of the country to the marque
The decline in profits came despite a £437m pension credit, which JLR said was partially offset by one-off engineering costs. Stripping out the impact of this, the margin for the year to the end of March fell to 3.8pc from 5.9pc last time round.
Britain’s biggest car-maker will “continue to invest over-proportionately”, Mr Speth added, sinking more into new vehicles, factories and technology such as self-driving and electric drive trains. JLR has earmarked £4.5bn of investment in the business in the coming financial year.
In the past year, JLR has launched a slew of new models, including the the Range Rover Velar, a new version of the Discovery off-roader and showcased a host of heavily modified cars including Project 8, a 200mph saloon car.
Duke and Duchess of Sussex, drive an electric E-Type Jaguar from Windsor Castle to Frogmore House
JLR is building a new plant in Slovakia which will produce the Land Rover Discovery when it comes on line later this year, and is also spending £450m to upgrade its engineering centre in Gaydon.
Last month, JLR announced it was cutting 1,000 contract workers at its Solihull plant which builds the XE and XF saloons and sports cars, and was also relocating 350 permanent staff from the Castle Bromwich factory to Solihull.
The job losses were in response to the slowdown in UK demand for JLR cars and had been widely expected after production was cut in January at the Halewood plant on Merseyside, which builds the Range Rover Discovery Sport and smaller Evoque models.


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FuelBuddy, one of India’s first and largest legal doorstep fuel delivery service providers, has recently joined hands with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL). With this new national-level partnership, the company aims to enable the seamless supply of its ‘Buddy Cans’ to all IOCL pumps in India, thereby increasing the reach of diesel delivery service for their customers.
Along with housing societies, hospitals, schools, malls, and factories, the partnership will enable access to FuelBuddy’s service in tier 2 and tier 3 Indian cities where getting unadulterated fuel is a difficult proposition, the company said in a press statement. The prospective customers will be able to receive fuel within minutes of placing an order on the FuelBuddy app.
Commenting on the development, Neeraj Gupta, CEO India, FuelBuddy, said, “On-demand fuel delivery is the next big thing in the industry with the customers looking for the convenience of refuelling unadulterated and pilferage-free diesel at the comfort of home. This partnership is another step toward our efforts to democratise and digitise fuel in India.”
He further added, “IOCL is the biggest name in the Indian fuel industry with 34000 outlets, and by establishing this tie-up, we are positive about enhancing accessibility to fuel and, in the meantime, also improving our national footprint and service offering.”
It’s worth mentioning that FuelBuddy currently only delivers diesel at one’s doorsteps. In an interaction with Express Mobility, Neeraj Gupta, CEO, FuelBuddy, said that the company is still figuring out a viable option to home deliver petrol due to multiple challenges associated with it. However, FuelBuddy will soon announce its plans for delivery of CNG and its mobile electric vehicle charging points.


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Bluegreen Vacations Corporation News
Bluegreen Vacations Jumps After Settling Bass Pro Shop Dispute
Bluegreen Vacations settles its dispute with Bass Pro Shops and it now has access to the company's marketing channels.
Bluegreen Vacations Sinks After Plan to Go Private Falls Apart
The vacation company's main shareholder, BBX Capital, won't proceed with its previously planned merger that would have taken Bluegreen Vacations private.
Millennials Love Investing in Timeshares: Bluegreen Vacations CEO
Timeshares apparently just aren't for boomers any longer, millennials are getting in the mix says Bluegreen Vacations CEO Shawn Pearson.
Stocks to Watch: Dell, Sears, Gap, Foot Locker (Update 1)
PC maker Dell comes up short in its latest quarter and gives a lackluster outlook. Shares fall in premarket trading.
Morning Briefing: 10 Things You Should Know
U.S. stock futures point higher; unions strike in southern Europe; Cisco tops Wall Street's earnings expectations; Toyota to recall almost 2.8 million vehicles.
Robinhood Stock Surges, Then Halted, Amid Reports of FTX Takeover Interest
Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX is looking for a path to buy online brokerage group Robinhood, Bloomberg reported Monday.
General Electric Stock Gains As CEO Larry Culp Takes Over Aviation Division
"There is tremendous opportunity in aviation over the coming years, and the Board and I decided it is the right time for me to take on this expanded role," said GE CEO Larry Culp.
Feds Could Stop Trump SPAC Deal
An investigation by a federal grand jury could halt the proposed SPAC deal with Trump's social media company.
McDonald's Brings Back a Classic Menu Item (with a Catch)
You never know what the fast-food chain might bring back or create a new version of.


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Rapyd has boosted its US offering after entering into an agreement with InComm Payments.
The partnership will enable cash payments and load solutions at participating retailers across the United States.
The firm detailed that cash is still the most preferred method of payment in the U.S. for transactions under $25.
Eric Rosenthal, Managing Director and President of Rapyd for the Americas stated: “Cash is still king in most of the world, but the digital economy is not currently set up to capitalize on it.
“Rapyd has made it our mission to expand the ways in which people can pay for digital goods and services across every border and every form of currency. We are excited to partner with InComm Payments to expand the customer reach of countless businesses and seamlessly integrate cash.
“Billers and retailers continue to explore convenient options to offer their customers a full range of payment choices,” said Tim Richardson, Senior Vice President at InComm Payments. “Our partnership with Rapyd will deliver enhanced payment flexibility and convenience with regards to cash payments for retail customers across the country.”
Consumers will be able to use cash to add funds and pay their bills at participating locations that they already frequent in their communities such as grocery stores and pharmacies.


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AKRON (May 23, 2014) — The International Tire Exhibition & Conference Tire Dealers/Auto Service i(ITEC) is hosting a webinar to help tire dealers and auto service providers learn more about the upcoming show in Orlando, Fla.
The free webinar will take place at 2 p.m. on June 4 and last 30 minutes.
Information provided includes reasons why a provider does not want to miss the show and about what to expect while attending the show,
To register for the webinar, click webinar registration.
The ITEC Show for tire dealers and auto service providers will take place Aug. 20-22 at the Caribe Royale All-Suite Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando.
For more information about the ITEC show, visit ITEC Orlando 2014.
With one-third of 2018 in the books, how would you characterize business thus far?
|Sales are behind where we were last year at this point.||
29% (36 votes)
|Our sales are about the same as last year.||
20% (25 votes)
|The first four months have been extremely strong; let's hope we can maintain it.||
33% (41 votes)
|One month up, one month down ...||
18% (22 votes)
|Total votes: 124|


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Bitcoin is the currency of the Internet: a distributed, worldwide, decentralized digital money.
Most exchanges require some type of identifying information, and at the very least you need an account into which the euros can be deposited.The Mt. Gox bitcoin drama got a little more dramatic this week.A group of hackers believe that Mark Karpeles, CEO of the fallen Mt.The most lucrative attacks are carried out on online services that store the private keys for a large number of users, as Sheep Marketplace did.
Brainwallet.org exploited and bitcoins were stolen
Bitcoin wallet service hacked, 4,100 Bitcoins stolenRICHO withdrew the bitcoins before the individual could spend them and caused the stolen bitcoins to be.Get the best of Business Insider delivered to your inbox every day.
Bitcoin theft on the rise - cnbc.com
Anonymous hackers claim MtGox still has 'stolen' BitcoinsGox Bitcoin exchange offline - at least for now - a primary concern of customers who had accounts there is getting back lost bitcoins - can they be.Last week hackers stole 1,295 Bitcoins - more than a million dollars - from Denmark-based Bitcoin exchange BIPS.
Stolen wallet? | 99 Bitcoins
The rising trend of bitcoin and substantial growth of investments in the digital currency space has increased the awareness of bitcoin across major cities.
Get started with Bitcoin: find a wallet, buy bitcoin, shop with bitcoin, read bitcoin news, and get involved on the forum.Like most merchants in the world, she wants a government-sanctioned currency, preferably the euro.
Equifax, the global credit rating firm, publicly acknowledged its systems had been compromised and user information had been stolen.Unlike traditional currencies such as dollars, bitcoins are issued and.The prominent Bitcoin exchange was said to be on the verge of total collapse following a major theft, even as another company announced plans for a high.Bitcoin is a worldwide cryptocurrency and digital payment system.The fascinating consequence of this is that you can see the stolen bitcoins on the public blockchain,.
Report: Equifax Hackers Demand Bitcoin Ransom to DeleteThe Bitcoin Exchange Thefts You May Have. worth of bitcoins have been stolen,.The real kick in the teeth for U.S. Bitcoin taxpayers is in how the IRS will deal with fraud, theft and loss of their bitcoins.
How not to Launder $4 Billion worth of bitcoin – Hacker Noon
In June of 2011, a user named Allinvain was the victim of what is arguably the first recorded major Bitcoin theft.
Several of the most trusted and well-known Bitcoin companies, including the Mt.
Stolen Bitcoins - Money Morning
Security Of Your Bitcoins Is Predominantly Your ResponsibilityAs there are currently 12.4 million Bitcoins in circulation, this.If your wallet is hacked and your bitcoins are stolen, there is not much you can do about it.
Bitcoins Stolen by Two FBI Agents - Hackers News BulletinBesides of that, Ross Ulbricht, the creator of Silk Road, was found guilty of running such.This is where the majority of your bitcoins should be stored as they cannot be stolen unless you hand over all the security details.
In the beginning, the buzz was all about bitcoin, the virtual currency that promised to revolutionize getting and spending on a global.Gox, a Japan-based Bitcoin exchange that was for many people the.


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UK start-ups raised more money in equity investment last year than ever before, new research shows, as foreign investment cash flooded into the country. Data from the research firm Beauhurst, which specialises in tracking growth businesses, shows UK start-ups picked up £8.27bn worth of funding during 2017, more than twice as much as in 2016.
Last year was also a record year for megadeals, with no fewer than 29 companies attracting investments of more than £50m. These businesses were led by Improbable, which raised £389m from the Japanese technology investor SoftBank Capital, and Farfetch, which raised £313m from the Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com. Other large funding rounds included TransferWise’s raise of £215m, a £125m round for The Hut Group and the £113m picked up Atom Bank.
In 23 out of these 29 megadeals, the cash came from foreign investors, who were responsible for 79 per cent of transactions worth more than £5m last year, Beauhurst’s research shows. In total, foreign investors put £5.9bn into 369 foreign start-ups last year.
Fund-raising in 2017 was spread across a range of sectors, from food delivery to artificial intelligence, but the UK’s financial technology (FinTech) industry enjoyed a particularly stellar period. UK FinTechs’ raised £1.3bn during 2017, more than twice as much as in 2015, the previous record year for the industry.
Henry Whorwood, a senior consultancy associate at Beauhurst said the hype around fast-growing sectors such as FinTech was such that the challenge now is to ensure these businesses are given time to prove their potential.
“The pool of capital available to UK private businesses has deepened significantly,” he said. “The question now is not so much about making sure that companies have access to enough capital but rather that they have access to the right kind of capital - in 2018 we’ll see a shift away from promoting patient capital to preventing impatient capital.”
Another objective for start-ups and their supporters will be to work harder to ensure investment is attracted to every part of the country. London continues to dominate the start-up investment scene, with companies in the capital accounting for 72 per cent of all megadeals last year, and for the first time more than half of all transactions recorded.
While some other areas of the country did see notable increases in deal numbers – transactions were up by 50 per cent and 44 per cent respectively in the South-West of England and Scotland – London continues to accelerate away from other regions.
It will also be interesting to see whether the increased availability of investment capital to start-ups, including very large funding rounds, leads to a slowdown in the number of companies proceeding to stock market flotations. Beauhurst said there was already some evidence in a slowing of the pace of exits.
Stephen Welton, chief executive of the Business Growth Fund, the Government-backed venture capital fund that takes minority stakes in growing British companies, said the research suggested the funding scene for start-ups in the UK had continued to improve since the financial crisis, when many businesses were starved of capital.
“More and more business owners are recognising that with strong financial backing and genuine support there are as many opportunities as challenges, and that growth is out there,” Welton said. “These results demonstrate that entrepreneurialism across the UK is alive and well.”


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Planning to buy new vehicle? Check which models are getting costlier from April
Various auto original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have announced an increase in prices of their cars and bikes from April 1. They have attributed the hike in prices to overall inflation in the market as well as regulatory requirements such as BS 6 Phase II - that requires vehicles to follow stricter emission norms. Companies have started updating their model lineups to be compliant with the latest requirements.
From April 1, vehicles will need to have an on-board self-diagnostic device to monitor the real-time driving emission levels. This device will constantly monitor key parts of the vehicle such as the catalytic converter and oxygen sensors, for meeting emission standards.
Also check these Cars
Also Read : These car launches are scheduled for April
Maruti Suzuki is increasing prices of its models from next month in order to partially offset the impact of rising inflation and regulatory requirements. However, the carmaker hasn't yet revealed the quantum of price hike that it intends to implement. The home-grown automaker has had seven price hikes since January of 2021 in small amounts given the input costs have been rising over time.
Honda Cars India will increase the price of Amaze, one of its best-selling models, for the same reasons. The price of the model will go up by around ₹12,000, depending on variants. The sedan is currently priced from ₹6.89 lakh and extends all the way up to ₹9.48 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top-end version.
Hero MotoCorp will also be increasing ex-showroom prices across its two-wheeler range from next month. The price hike will be around two per cent and has been made largely due to the cost increases in the wake of compliance with OBD 2 and RDE regulations. The exact quantum of the price hike will vary depending on the model and the market.
Tata Motors commercial vehicles prices will also be hiked by up to 5% ahead of BS6 Phase II norms.


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AMMAN: The total value of shares bought by non-Jordanian investors in January was JD26.3 million, representing 29 per cent of the overall trading value, while the value of shares sold by the same bracket amounted to JD 26.1 million, according to the ASE website.
Subsequently, net non-Jordanian investment in January reflected an increase by JD0.2 million, compared with a decrease by JD7.3 million during the same month of 2018.
Arab investors’ purchases during the first month of this year totalled JD5.4 million, or 20.7 per cent of the overall purchases by non-Jordanians, while the value of non-Arab purchases amounted to JD20.9 million, constituting 79.3 per cent of the total purchases.
Arab investors’ sales amounted to JD22.9 million, 87.8 per cent of non-Jordanians total sales, while the value of non-Arab sales amounted to JD3.2 million, representing 12.2 per cent of the total sales by non-Jordanians.
Non-Jordanian investors’ ownership in companies listed at the ASE by the end of January represented 51.6 per cent of the total market value, 36.8 per cent for Arab investors and 14.8 per cent for non-Arab investors.
At the sector level, the non-Jordanian ownership in the financial sector is 56.2 per cent, while in the service sector, it is 18.3 per cent, and in the industrial sector is 61.9 per cent, according to the ASE website.


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Americans may be taking shorter vacations than ever, but they’re also spending more on travel. According to a new study by Allianz Global Assistance, U.S. citizens are expected to spend a record $101.7 billion on summer vacations this summer. That works out to an average of $2,037 per person, also a record and a 5.2% increase from last summer’s $1,936 per person.
Here’s how the results compare to those of previous years:
“Summer vacation spending will hit record levels this year, with Americans planning to spend an average of more than $2,000 on their trip, according to our 11th annual Vacation Confidence Index,” said Daniel Durazo, director of marketing and communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA. “This will bring total spending to a record $101 billion, a number which reflects the continued value that Americans place on their summer trips. As the amount spent on vacations continues to increase, it’s even more important that consumers purchase travel insurance when they book their trip, in order to protect their travel investment and protect against costly medical emergencies while traveling.”
Disclaimer: Johnny Jet works as an ambassador for Allianz Global Assistance (AGA Service Company) and receives financial compensation.
For more information about Allianz Global, visit AllianzTravelInsurance.com.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. Editorial Note: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Editorial Note: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.


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Ironically, product is exactly what Dolce and Gabbana want the focus to be in the rest of the store. Adjustable recess and spot-lighting tracks highlight the clothes, which are segmented into different categories, such as basics and tailored clothing.
“The most important thing about this store is the product,” Dolce said. “We had a little difficulty with the architects on that point, but we didn’t care, this was our store.”
They worked with a series of architects, including David Chipperfield, interior designer Feruccio Laviani and lighting specialist Arnold Chan of Studio Isometrix, to complete the store.
The designers started envisioning the project almost three years ago when they got the lease to the current palazzo, which was once owned by the Innocenti family, makers of the Mini Cooper in Italy during the Fifties and Sixties. The palazzo’s original pine, brass and frosted-glass doors were kept as part of the store’s interior.
Work got under way over the past year, yet instead of putting up an Under Construction sign, the duo smartly filled the front space of the palazzo with two separate stores — selling their accessories and vintage collections — while Chipperfield and his team excavated the back of the building. Their original women’s store will now be devoted to their accessories collections, while the new flagship will have a corner devoted to the vintage line.
The designers declined to give the cost of the project; however Dolce & Gabbana’s director of general affairs Cristiana Ruella has said in the past that the company spends an average of 651 euros, or about $788 at current exchange, for every square foot. With that calculation, the new store would run around 7.7 million euros, or $9.3 million. Yet, the designers would be the first to point out that this is not an average store. “It didn’t have a budget,” Dolce said.


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The first Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970, catapulting environmental concerns onto the front page and launching a worldwide movement. Nearly 50 years later, the fight for a clean environment has never been more important, as the consequences of climate change become more evident every day. Consumers are aware of this urgency: 62 percent of Americans believe climate change is a problem, according to the 2018 Cone/Porter Novelli Climate Change Snapshot. Additionally, 58 percent say that in the absence of government progress, companies must take the lead on creating climate change solutions and commitments. Here’s how organizations are heeding the call:
Advocating to Make Earth Day a National Holiday: Outdoor clothing brand The North Face is partnering with 15 organizations around the world to launch a global Change.org petition to make Earth Day an officially recognized holiday. The company will shut down 113 stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as its global headquarters, on April 22 to provide opportunity for employees to disconnect and explore. This week, The North Face also partnered with musicians, artists and culinary influencers to host a series of #ExploreMode events that encouraged consumers to disconnect digitally and engage with their surroundings.
Rethinking Packaging: The beauty industry is a major contributor to plastic packaging and waste, producing 120 billion units of packaging every year. Many companies are looking for more environmentally-friendly packaging options: Kiehl’s Made Better, a brand platform which connects the company’s efforts in sustainability to the aspirations of Kiehl’s customers, is re-introducing its best-selling mask Rare Earth – made better. The mask comes in a re-designed jar that features a top label made from repurposed coffee bean bag fiber and post-consumer waste, and a jar made of 30 percent post-consumer recycled plastic. 100 percent of net profits, up to $25,000, will support the Earth Day Network’s Earth Day 2019 Clean Up, taking place in cities across the United States.
Encouraging Consumers to Do Good (While Reducing Their Carbon Footprint): JetBlue re-upped its annual “GreenUp” campaign to celebrate Earth Month: From April 1-15, the airline encouraged customers to nominate their favorite environmental nonprofits to a receive a grant. One nonprofit will be rewarded with a grant of $20,000 and three runners up will each receive $5,000. Additionally, when customers nominate their favorite charities to receive a grant, they will automatically be entered to have offsets totaling 3.6 million pounds of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions retired in their name. This represents the average American’s lifetime carbon footprint, according to Carbonfund.org Foundation. Since 2008, JetBlue has offset more than 2 billion pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in partnership with Carbonfund.org.
Seeking Sustainable Solutions in the Fashion Industry: The world is in desperate need of sustainable fashion solutions, with the fashion industry contributing 6.7 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Athleisure brand BOY MEETS GIRL® (BMG) is partnering with nonprofit Cool Effect to create a limited-edition t-shirt design inspired by Cool Effect’s mission to fight climate change and cut carbon emissions. With the phrase “THOU SHALT STAY COOL,” the shirts are made using low-impact dying techniques to reduce environmental impact. BMG will donate 15 percent of proceeds from the design to Cool Effect.
As the ravages of climate change become harder to ignore, it’s become increasingly important for all of us (including companies) to play a part in creating climate change solutions. Whether those solutions involve rethinking packaging or helping consumers reduce their carbon footprint, they are all necessary steps toward preserving our planet for generations to come.


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So many international brands are coming to Pakistan which shows the incredible potential we have in this country. There was a time when there were no international brands available in Pakistan and people would have to go abroad to shop or ask their relati
Even after the economic situation of Pakistan so many international brands are coming to Pakistan which shows the incredible potential we have in this country. There was a time when there were no international brands available in Pakistan and people would have to go abroad to shop or ask their relatives to bring things for them. Today there is an endless range of international brands available in the major cities of Pakistan.
The International Watch Company is one of the most prestigious and pioneer watch outlets in Pakistan. The company very recently opened a new store in Vogue Towers on MM Alam Road. The outlet has various brands available and there are specific corners for their collection. It is the right place to go when you want to buy an expensive watch of accessories because you get an overview of what is in fashion because of so many international brands available under one roof. The International Watch Company has launched a posh watch brand Chopard which in Lahore. The brand has not only delicate and trendy watches but also has a wide range of accessories such as hand bags, jewelry, ties, pens and wallets.
The event was a huge success with a lot of fashion celebrities present at the venue wearing Chopard. Many fashion models thought that it was a great initiative and a great honor for Pakistan with these brands coming in and one should start shopping from Pakistan for the betterment of the country so that more foreign investors come in. The event was lively while people nibbled on shrimp cocktails and prawn tempura. Live saxophone was being played at the event while supermodel Nadia Hussain hosted the red carpet while she wore a gorgeous black dress by Rizwan Beyg and earrings, watch and a clutch by Chopard.
The top offcials of the International Watch Company accompanied Chopard’s regional director Mr. Cedric Mueller and Area Sales Manager for Chopard. A lot of celebrities from the fashion and film industry of Pakistan attended the event such as Waris Baig, film actress Sana, models Sabina Pasha, Sara Gillani and Rachel.
The décor of the event was done by Narcissus events and they did a great job with tall flower arrangements, live saxophone and the whole ambiance of the event which was superb. Voila PR did the event management and the PR of the Chopard’s launch in Lahore.


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Australia Post Briefing Session - Exporting Wine into China
Australia Post has been actively working on providing long term viable alternatives to access the booming CHINA Wine market for some time, which is now approaching completion. Australia Post will provide a briefing session in Margaret River/Cowaramup on Friday 17th July that will provide insights into the China wine market.
It is well documented that China market is here to stay and will continue to grow exponentially in the years to come.
Within the session they will show you how to ship anything from a bottle, a carton, a pallet or even a container through our variety of alternative channels. They will also talk through their demand generation work that is currently happening in China, which will enable you to reach the lucrative Consumer market or via existing distribution agents.
To attend this briefing, please RSVP to Pip Heaford at email@example.com by 10 July 2015.


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There’s a lot of anticipation building up for Motorola’s August 1st event, where it will finally unveil the Moto X smartphone. Though given the amount of leaks we have been seeing, there’s really not much left to be revealed. Nevertheless, crucial information such as pricing and availability must come from the company itself. Last week there was a rumor that all four major U.S. carriers, that’s Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint, will carry the Moto x. 9to5Google claims to have heard from a source that T-Mobile won’t be carrying the Moto X.
T-Mobile already offers the Google Nexus 4, and the source claims that Magenta is yet to have a deal with Motorola. Obviously there’s the possibility that T-Mobile might pick up this device a couple of months down the road and not carry it immediately after it is launched. We’ve actually not seen any confirmation from all four carriers that they will indeed by carrying the Moto X. So these are details for which we must anxiously await Motorola’s event. According to latest rumors, the Moto X might be priced at $299.


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Paris Hilton’s boyfriend, Cy Waits, certainly knows how to keep the heiress happy. After buying her a $375,000 Lexus for her 30th birthday, Waits took Hilton ring shopping at jeweler Jacob and Co. in New York City, according to Page Six. Hilton ended up leaving the store with a $25,000 black diamond ring. But is it an engagement ring? “We've talked about it,” Hilton said when asked about getting engaged. “This is once in a lifetime. I want to be with him forever. And Cy has great taste.”
Paris Hilton's continuing adventures in conspicuous consumption
Paris Hilton’s boyfriend, Cy Waits, certainly knows how to keep the heiress happy.


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Fibre 1 from Forres wins Reseller of the Year at Comms Business Awards
Easier access to your trusted, local news. Have a look at our brand new digital subscription packages!
A FORRES-based based digital telecoms company has won a national award.
Fibre 1 - whose headquarters is at the Enterprise Park, Horizon Scotland - was crowned ‘Reseller of the Year’ at the recent Comms Business Awards at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.
Managing director Stewart Macdonald said: “We are proud to have developed relationships with industry leaders to provide a portfolio of data, voice and hosting services to businesses. Our products include fibre connectivity, hosted telephony, FTTC, FTTP, leased lines and VPLS networks. We have been able to successfully provide services to customers previously that these were not available due to location. We have an excellent project management team and exceptional customer care.”
Fibre 1’s directors headed to England for one of the biggest events in the telecoms calendar, where they re-connected with fellow industry members. The directors thanked their team for working so hard, as well as customers and partners for support over the last four years.
Mr Macdonald added: “We cannot accomplish all that we need to do without working together.”
Fibre 1 is now focused on the ISDN switch-off, with Openreach phasing out ISDN lines by 2025.


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Following its launch back in 2013, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has attracted a high userbase, amassing over 6 million players as of July 2016. However, according to Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida, there is still much more left to do. The MMORPG recently celebrated the release of its newest expansion Stormblood and is already being enjoyed by fans.
In a recent interview with Kotaku, Yoshida commented on potentially bringing XIV to the Switch and Xbox One. In his own words:
Yoshida: I’ve said this on several occasions, but it hasn’t changed. We would love for as many players to be on FFXIV as possible.
Conversations have been had with Mr. Phil Spencer of Microsoft, and the upper management teams of Nintendo. But I have proposed a condition every time I speak with any platform manufacturers. It’s that the game has to have the capability of cross-platform play.
If we are able to come to some sort of agreement, a handshake so to speak, or if it does end up being that unfortunately we can’t do a handshake with Final Fantasy XIV, either way we’ll make sure to communicate with our players. But we have been tenacious—we’ve been trying to keep at it and be persistent about our conversations.
As both Nintendo and Microsoft continue to explore Cross-Platform play, the possibility of seeing Final Fantasy XIV on either platform seems more likely as time passes. Here’s hoping that Yoshida-san is able to make it a reality.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is currently available on PC, Mac, and PS4.


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Total sales of passenger vehicles in 2012 were 14.4 million, according to WardsAuto. While overall industry sales were up more than 13.4%, consumer demand for cars pushed even higher to an increase of more than 18.9% from the previous year. Truck sales (which include minivans, SUVs, and pickups) increased about 8%. Some of the most important influences on auto sales levels in general are consumer confidence (which is affected by the housing, job and stock markets), consumer credit availability and gas prices.
2012 VS. 2011: U.S. LIGHT VEHICLE SALES: SALES UP 13.4%, BEST YEAR SINCE 2007
The final 2012 tally reached 14.4 million light vehicles, 13.4% above 2011 and the best year since 16.1 million in 2007. It marked the third straight year-over-year increase since the industry bottomed out at 10.4 million in 2009 – a 27-year low.
Both Passenger Cars and Light Trucks Are Popular
For the past decade, about half of new vehicle sales have been split between cars and light trucks—minivans, SUVs and pickups. Often consumers choose light trucks for their passenger and cargo capacity, four-wheel-drive features, towing capacity and more.
Automakers sold 14.8 million light vehicles in the U.S. market last year, up 13% from 2011, the highest mark since 2007. 2012 also marked the third-straight year of at least a 10% increase in sales – the last time this occurred, Richard Nixon was president. And if forecasts hold true, 2013 could see more than 15 million light vehicles sold.
Steady, Strong Sales Until 2008...and Now Growing Again


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Filemaker News and Press Releases
In the News
FileMaker solution for iPad helps auditors conduct safety inspections in 1,000 garment factories in Bangladesh
Inspection solution built in just three weeks using FileMaker Platform
Auckland, New Zealand, 18 December, 2014 — FileMaker software has helped conduct independent workplace-safety inspections for nearly 1,000 garment factories in Bangladesh in just six months.
A customised FileMaker solution for iOS – created in just three weeks – reduced reporting time by as much as 50 percent, enabling the inspecting organisation to meet its mandated timetable. The goal was to identify the most severe fire and safety threats so that they could be rectified quickly, potentially saving lives.
Hughes Associates of Baltimore, Maryland, conducted the factory inspections under contract to The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Hughes is a leader in fire protection and life safety, risk and hazard analysis, and code-compliance assessment.
Said Brian Rhodes, Hughes’ director for codes and standards: “We didn’t have time to report using handwritten notes and disjointed photos. We needed much more efficiency and consistency to handle a task this large in such a short time frame. I don’t believe that we could have completed this critical project on time and within budget without our FileMaker solution.”
FileMaker developer Anvil Dataworks worked with Hughes to develop a custom solution that enabled inspectors to collect data, including photographs, transmit the data to offices worldwide, and generate reports – all from a single mobile tool. The detailed inspection reports are used to alert factory owners of deficiencies in building safety and fire protection and to provide guidance in corrective action plans. The solution was created using FileMaker Pro 13, FileMaker Server 13 and FileMaker Go for iPad.
Click here to read the full story.
Company extends responsibilities of Chief Administration Officer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – 30 April, 2014 – FileMaker, Inc. today gave Bill Epling, chief administration officer, the additional title of senior vice president of international sales. Bill will now oversee sales and marketing for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA) in addition to leading the company’s sales and marketing teams in Japan, China and Korea. He replaces Keith Harris, who is retiring as planned at the end of this month.
“Keith Harris served FileMaker ably for 18 years in various management positions, most recently vice president of international sales responsible for EMEIA,” said Dominique Goupil, president, FileMaker. “We now look to Bill Epling to lead international sales. This is an opportune time to expand our sales globally because our recently launched FileMaker 13 platform enables customers to design innovative business solutions that manage everything from sales contacts and inventory to medical data on iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac, and web browsers.”
Epling is a FileMaker veteran, having worked for the company since 1996. He has deep European experience. After holding treasury roles at PepsiCo, Inc. and J.C. Penney Company, Inc., he was director of finance, Apple France, in charge of planning, accounting, payroll, tax, facilities and order processing, and director of tax and treasury for Apple Europe, in charge of treasury, tax, credit and facilities.
Epling has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and an MBA in finance and accounting, both from Columbia University in New York.
ZDNet's Jason O'Grady gives a resounding endorsement of the FM13 Platform in a review running today on ZDNet.com
"FileMaker is the most robust database solution for both OS X and iOS, and the new features in version 13 solidify its position at the top of the heap. Whether you're building a simple asset or invoice database, or an enterprise-level solution with multiple concurrent users, FileMaker is simply the most powerful solution available on the Apple platform. "
Now available for intermediate to advanced users and developers to take their FileMaker skills to the next level
Sydney, Australia – March 19, 2014 – FileMaker, Inc. today announced the immediate availability of FileMaker Training Series: Advanced for FileMaker 13, low cost, in-depth training materials that help developers create FileMaker solutions that run on iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac and the web. FileMaker Training Series: Advanced completes the company’s official self-paced training curriculum for the recently announced FileMaker 13 Platform. In January, the company unveiled the free FileMaker Training Series: Basics, available on iBooks and in PDF format.
FileMaker Training Series: Advanced provides in-depth coverage of development practices and techniques to help customers master the essentials of FileMaker 13 solution development. The training series is mainly for intermediate to advanced FileMaker developers, but it will also be useful to anyone who creates solutions and for those developers preparing to become a FileMaker 13 Certified Developer.
The FileMaker Training Series: Advanced has been completely restructured and formatted for improved ease of use. It incorporates callout tips for developing solutions to use on FileMaker Go for iPad and iPhone and on FileMaker WebDirect in a web browser. The series also comes with an entire module dedicated to interface design and includes tips on getting the most out of new features in FileMaker 13 such as styles and themes, new scripts, container field enhancements, database encryption and more.
Today, the FileMaker Technical Network, a thriving community for anyone who creates custom solutions for iPad, iPhone, desktops, and the web with the FileMaker product line, has reached 50,000 members. The FileMaker Technical Network offers a wealth of free technical resources for FileMaker developers and users, all at no charge to members.
Click the headline for further details.
FileMaker announced today that attendees registering for the annual FileMaker Developer Conference have until June 19 to take advantage of the "early bird" discount and save NZ $400 off registration. After June 19, the full conference fee of NZ $1,995 for the Standard Registration package and NZ $2,750 for the Gold Registration package applies.
Click the headline for further details.
Forrester’s interviews with a customer’s application development team showed that financial benefits from the FileMaker solutions surpassed costs three months after creation, and two-year ROI of 289%.
Readers of the study may estimate their own costs and benefits from FileMaker solutions compared to existing processes and to alternative tools. The study provides a framework that considers developers’ hourly costs, total time, time saved compared to current processes and alternative development methods.
Click the headline for further details.
FileMaker Developer Conference explores design, development and business innovation with the FileMaker Platform
Over 80 expert-led sessions detail how to build powerful, custom solutions for iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac and the web
March 13, 2013 – FileMaker, Inc. today announced schedule highlights for the FileMaker Developer Conference 2013, the largest annual gathering of worldwide FileMaker independent and corporate database developers, trainers and users. “Platform for Innovation” is the theme of the 18th annual conference, which features two new tracks and will be at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel in San Diego, California USA, August 12-15.
Click the headline to learn more about the FileMaker Developer Conference.
Willem Meyer, FileMaker Regional Manager Asia Pacific, recently appeared on popular Australian business website Kochie's Business Builders, outlining the various capabilities of FileMaker to a small business audience.
In the video interview, Willem explains how FileMaker enables businesses to create custom database solutions that fit around their business, rather than forcing businesses to change their processes to suit existing database software products.
Willem also discusses the growing trend towards Business to Employee (B2E) apps and how FileMaker is helping change the way we work by encouraging greater mobility.
Click the headline to watch Willem's full interview.


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Mozambican company Agro-indústria e Comércio, Lda. (Agripec) plans to invest US$1.4 million in a project to breed crocodiles to use their skins, said the managing partner, Manuel Guimarães, quoted by news agency AIM.
The announced investment is intended to finance the construction of a slaughterhouse in Beira and a crocodile skin tanning unit, with individual tanks for crocodiles, a hatchery and fattening and growing tanks in Chemba, one of the districts in the province.
Guimarães said the company’s slaughterhouse in Beira will have a capacity to slaughter 200 animals per day, the meat of which will be consumed locally and the skins exported.
The Agripec managing partner said that crocodiles will be captured and eggs collected in Buzi district in order to increase the production capacity of the Chemba unit.
The company was officially authorised to extend its crocodile catching and egg collection operation along the major rivers in Sofala province, namely the Zambezi, Pungue and Buzi.
Currently, residents in the riverside areas of the Zambezi in Chemba, Caia and Marromeu are directly involved in the collection of eggs, which the company buys for 500 meticais (US$6.7) each.
Agripec, a company founded eight years ago, has already exported 20,000 juvenile crocodiles to Europe and Asia and annually exports 1,500 crocodile skins to countries like Italy, Portugal, South Korea, Japan and France. (macauhub)


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The BMA (Bathroom Manufacturers Association) have made a big move in the industry.
As you maybe aware there are a variety of labels across of countries for water based products in the bathroom. The BMA have implemented this to stop confusion when it comes to manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
This has already been supported by 20 bathroom manufacturers and led by the EBF (European Bathroom Forum). The EBF will bring everything in line to work together to show the same objectives and goals.


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Watchdog to fine water company
A water company under investigation for failings in its customer service operation was today warned it faced a fine from the industry regulator.
Southern Water, which operates in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, has already admitted it failed to meet service standards for bills inquiries and complaints after a new billing system revealed that previous figures it gave to Ofwat were not accurate.
It said in October that up to £2.5m may have to be refunded to cover payments owed to customers because of missed response times in the year to March 2005.
Ofwat is still investigating the matters, but said today it had told Southern Water that it was proposing a fine for the period since April 2005 - the date when it gained powers to impose financial penalties.
Philip Fletcher, Ofwat's director general of water services, said: 'Customers have not received the levels of service I expect. A financial penalty will send a clear message that each water company must meet its legal obligations to its customers.'
A team of independent experts from accountancy giant KPMG is carrying out an investigation on behalf of Ofwat and the company. The Serious Fraud Office is also considering whether to launch its own investigation.
The water group said today: 'Southern Water discovered inconsistencies in the reporting of its customer service response levels in October last year and immediately took the initiative to report them to Ofwat. As a result, we fully understand the procedural step the regulator is taking today.'
It added: 'We remain determined to get to the bottom of this issue and fix it while, at the same time, significantly improve our overall customer service standards.'
The company said it was recruiting and training more staff to deal with the day-to-day business of its customer service centre, which receives up to 8,500 calls and 1,600 letters every day.
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According to a recently released report, based on a sample of 3 million users collected over a period of 3 months, approximately 45% of the time, users submitted their login information to the phishing site they visited.
The study, exclusively monitored users who successfully reached a live phishing site that was not blocked by their browser's built-in anti-phishing protection or filtered as fraudulent one (Phishing experiment sneaks through all anti-spam filters), and found out that on average, 12.5 out of one million customers sampled for a particular bank, visited the phishing site.
Here are some of the key findings from the report:
- Each phishing attack compromises a very small number of customers (0.000564%), but due the large number of phishing attacks, the aggregated number is significant
- 45% of bank customers who are redirected to a phishing site divulge their personal credentials
- 0.47% of a bank’s customers fall victim to Phishing attacks each year, which translates to between $2.4M-$9.4M in annual fraud losses (per one million online banking clients)
- Each financial institution was targeted, on average, by 16 phishing websites per week
- This translates to 832 phishing attacks per year per brand
The logic applied in the report is similar to the logic I once emphasized on in a previous post while disagreeing with claims made in another report on how unprofitable phishing, and underground economy are in general due to thousands of cybercriminals stealing each other's market share of malicious activity.
It's simple math and a realistic "view from the trenches" perspective. For instance, if the price for launching a phishing campaign (Spamming vendor launches managed spamming service) consisting of 50 million emails is $500, if only a single user falls victim and loses $501, the phisher breaks-even and earns profit.
- Consider going through related posts: Phishers introduce 'Chat-in-the-Middle' fraud tactic; New study details the dynamics of successful phishing; Research: 76% of phishing sites hosted on compromised servers; Microsoft study debunks phishing profitability; Microsoft study debunks profitability of the underground economy; Phishers increasingly scamming other phishers; DIY phishing kits introducing new features; Phishers apply quality assurance, start validating credit card numbers; Lack of phishing attacks data sharing puts $300M at stake annually
Trusteer's report makes another interesting observation, and it's the fact that not only were the phishing sites live, but also, apparently managed to bypass the anti-spam/phishing protection -- if any -- on the potential victim's host.
With the average time for a phishing site to remain online varying based on multiple factors, what the industry and the security community in general can do to better undermine this effectiveness of in-the-wild phishing attacks, is by sharing data, ultimately protecting more people, a practice which according to research reports, can save up to $300M annually.
The beneficial effects of data sharing were most recently confirmed in a Virus Bulletin comparative review of anti-spam solutions, in which they concluded that the "combined effort outperformed individual products":
"In the test, almost 200,000 emails were sent to 14 different anti-spam solutions which were required to classify them as either ham or spam. The test revealed that no legitimate mail was blocked by more than four products. After the test, VB's anti-spam team decided to look into this further and considered a hypothetical filter that marked an email as spam if at least five of the 14 products did so.
Unlike any of the individual products, the hypothetical filter generated no false positives at all, and combined this 0% false positive rate with an impressive overall spam catch rate of 99.89% (higher than any of the individual products VB has tested). "
Despite the long term potential of phishing, and the inevitable localization successfully reaching the native speakers of campaign's message, crimeware also known as banker malware such as Zeus, Limbo, Adrenalin or URLZone, remain the financial industry's biggest enemies, bigger than any economic forecast, no matter how cloudy it is.
Be pragmatic and reclaim control of your bank account. Bank on a LiveCD, ask your bank about the daily withdrawal limit conditions and set them according to your needs, ask them about the availability of SMS alert service allowing you to receive real-time notifications for incoming and outgoing transactions as an early-warning system for bank account compromise.


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PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) and Waka Flocka recently announced that they have partnered for a anti-fur ad campaign that would feature the Atlanta rapper nude for the organization’s “Ink, Not Mink” campaign.
Waka Flocka is a strongly oppose the wearing of fur and speak out against it every chance he gets.
In an interview with PETA Waka Flocka said, “understand where that fox fur came from before you spend $1,000…someone got their head beat in and electrocuted.”
“Understand what you buy, instead of just going off fashion and what it looks like-that’s what I’d tell my community,” Waka added.
Waka is the first rapper to appear in the Ink, Not Mink ads, but he is certainly not the only rapper who supports PETA, and he is definitely not the only inked up emcee. Chuck D, Common, Kid Sister, Mark Ronson, Travie McCoy, Murs, Masta Killa and Mario have all teamed with PETA in support of their anti-fur campaign.


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As Siem Reap continues to expand at a staggering rate to welcome the growing number of tourists, competition for new businesses can be tough.
The hospitality and tourism sector is becoming increasingly competitive as hotels, cafes, bars, restaurants and boutiques clamour to open up shop in Temple Town. Despite a rising number of tourists to fill these new ventures, demand is changing as tourists’ expectations rise.
Philip Hogg is a seasoned Siem Reaper having owned various businesses since moving there eight years ago, including the first ice cream bus, a guesthouse and second-hand shop. He says that while competition is getting tougher, it is still possible to succeed in Siem Reap’s tough tourism environment.
“Siem Reap has come a long way in the last 10 years, and it is going to get a lot busier,” he says. “I personally think it has room to grow a lot more as there are so many opportunities out there.”
However, to survive, he says it’s vital that businesses embrace competition and come up with a unique selling point for that sets their business apart from the rest.
Hogg advises, “The main challenge of setting up a business is finding a business idea that will work in Siem Reap. Competition can be a problem but for me it’s not. Competition never bothers me, in fact it motivates me to make my business better than the rest.”
One of the key ingredients to success, according to Hogg, is to invest in providing top quality customer service to guests. This can be achieved by carrying out proper training and ensuring guests always leave satisfied.
“Excellent customer service will help you are a lot in Siem Reap,” Hogg says. “Training your staff on this will certainly be a huge benefit to your business. All staff need to be trained and I’d make sure you put a lot of effort into it and give them incentives to learn. I guarantee it will be worth your while.”
Hogg, who runs Siem Reap Rooms Tours & Guesthouse and Angkor Tours by A Local says he called on peers for recommendations for employees or recruited from several of the NGO hospitality training schools that operate in Siem Reap.
The other challenge is finding a good location at the right rental price as property rapidly runs out in prime spots of Siem Reap. While Hogg managed to find his premises himself, he recommends any newcomers to the town calling on the help of professional estate agents.
“Do lots of research and find an agent that you are comfortable with,” he recommends. “There are many people who will find properties for you but I would recommend using a licensed estate agent.
“One other tip is that an estate agent is exactly that, they’re not business advisors and remember their main purpose is to sell you a lease, property or business. So, I strongly advise you do your research before committing to anything.”
But the most important element, Hogg says, is to plan as much as possible to make sure you create a sustainable business that is not at risk of failure.
“Planning your business is very important and don’t rush into anything,” he advises. “Planning your business well can make the difference to your business succeeding or failing. I’ve seen so many people fail in business due to poor planning and poor research.”


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You have searched for "Online Scam"
Showing 1-10 of 127
News highlights from Asean countries in the Star-AseanPlus section for Wednesday (Sept 22)
KUALA LUMPUR: The police have arrested four men and a woman believed to be involved in a bogus online investment scheme that was out to cheat victims from China.
LONDON: Central bankers worldwide are weighing the probability of higher inflation. Consumers around the world say they are already feeling the pinch.
IPOH: Online scam victims in Muallim have lost a total of RM233,238 during the first half of the year, says Muallim OCPD Supt Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman.
Person-to-person digital payment apps like Venmo, Zelle and Cash App are convenient, but are they safe? The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says not very.
IPOH: A former sales representative from Taman Cahaya Bercham here fell victim to an online scam and lost about RM166,000.
PORT DICKSON: A fresh graduate looking for a job was conned out of almost RM139,000 in an online scam here.


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Photo: JEFF GREENBERG/GETTY IMAGES
How many brands do you buy in a month?
According to the craft beer trade group the Brewers Association, over 13 percent of the beer consumed in America is independently-owned craft beer. As someone who covers craft beer and drinks almost exclusively craft, that number always feels low. And yet, every now and then, something shakes me back to reality: A couple years ago, I was at a wedding, drinking one of my favorite offerings from Jack’s Abby, when a younger family member waltzed in with an 18-pack of Natural Light under his arm — and honestly, back when I was his age, I probably was doing the same thing.
So who exactly is downing the 13 percent of craft beer? As the site Brewbound reports, Nielsen recently delved into the answer with its Craft Beer Insights Poll — an online survey of 1,100 legal craft beer drinkers. The poll found that 43 percent of respondents overall drink craft beer at least occasionally, with younger people leaning towards craft even more: Over half of those under 44 years old considered themselves craft beer drinkers. But when it comes to people who drink craft beer more frequently — at least weekly — things skew slightly older toward men with a bit more disposable income. The most common weekly craft beer drinker was a 35- to 44-year-old male with an income from $75,000 to $99,000.


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Results of Perception Analysis of Tech-Savvy Women on Women Health in 2020–21
In this report titled ‘My body, my choices…Because my autonomy matters!’, Dr. Siddhartha Dutta, Practice Head, SG Analytics presented results of a perception analysis of tech-savvy women on women’s health in 2020-21 during the VIth World Congress on Women held on 31st October 2021.
Tech-savvy women in the USA are vocal about their choices for healthcare apps, trackers and are health-conscious
Though a higher percentage wants these apps and trackers to be free or less than $10 a month, there is a growing population of financially independent women who don’t mind paying X% on a higher subscription
Unlike the perception that online pharmacies have taken over in-store pharmacies during COVID-19, the study confirms that both were equally in demand and the brick-and-mortar model is not going anywhere
The study also confirms that women are highly price sensitive as their choice of brand for health trackers, medicines, & other fitness choices were largely dependent on discounts and price


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The organic produce industry long has kept one marketing eye on Fair Trade products, which aim at fair wages and living conditions for workers, environmental stewardship and profits for the growers.
It makes sense for organic fruit and vegetable suppliers to deal with Fair Trade partners, said Simcha Weinstein, marketing director for Albert’s Organics, Bridgeport, N.J.
“This support helps provide small farmers direct access to international markets and the tools and resources they need to succeed and thrive,” said Weinstein, whose company has been involved in Fair Trade goods since 2006.
Fair Trade funding makes sustainable local development in rural and poor communities possible, Weinstein said.
“It allows farmers and workers to develop infrastructure that improves their communities and their lives,” he said, listing health care, education and nutrition programs and organic gardens for workers among benefits Fair Trade provides.
“Participating in Fair Trade programs has given Albert’s Organics an opportunity to directly enrich and improve the lives of growers throughout the world,” Weinstein said.
Weinstein said his company has contributed about $420,000 in community development funds to banana growing communities in Ecuador and Peru since 2006.
Capitola, Calif.-based Awe Sum Organics, which ships and markets organic fruit from the Southern Hemisphere, also is committed to the Fair Trade philosophy, according to David Posner, who founded the company as Farmers Fruit Express Inc. in 1985 and changed the company name four years ago.
As of March 1, Awe Sum Organics had achieved Fair for Life certification, which enhances the social responsibility component in the company’s existing Fair Trade effort, Posner said.
“One of the requirements is workers are all paid good, fair wages and they have good working conditions and there’s a social program for them and part of the money goes back to the social program,” Posner said.
The social programs are key components to the Fair for Life program, Posner said.
“Our New Zealand organic apple producer has started a community garden where the workers live,” he said.
The idea is to get the entire worker community involved, he said.
“Not only does it give the workers an opportunity to participate in a project that brings the community together and produce wholesome organic produce for their families, it also gives them something that keeps the community from having problems with crime and other problems,” Posner said.


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Now that Xiaomi has introduced its Redmi Note 11 in India as Redmi Note 11T 5G, the company maybe working to bring a 4G variant of the device to the country. The Redmi Note 11 4G has already marked its debut in China and a new report now suggests that an India launch may not be too far away.
For those unaware, Redmi Note 11 4G was launched in China last month and came with features like MediaTek Helio G88 processor, 5000mAh battery and other such highlights. The phone comes as an affordable option to the Redmi Note 11, which also saw the day of light in China back in October.
Since then, Redmi Note 11 has already found its way to India as the Redmi Note 11T 5G, which has been priced at Rs 16,999 for the base variant. A new report by 91mobiles now suggests that Xiaomi will also introduce the Redmi Note 11 4G in India soon. Citing industry sources, the report claims that the Redmi Note 11 4G will come as the second Note 11-series phone in India after the Redmi Note 11T 5G.
This is in line with Xiaomi’s earlier practice of launching both 4G and 5G variants for its phone in the country. We saw the Mi 11 Lite 4G debut in India earlier this year, only to be followed by a 5G option for the phone months later. So the same can be expected for the Redmi Note 11 as well.
Other than the launch confirmation, the report also provides some details on the options to be available on the phone. As per this, Redmi Note 11 4G will be available in three models. Two of these will come with a 4GB RAM, along with 64GB and 128GB storage. A third variant will boast of a 6GB RAM and a 128GB storage.
The report even mentions that the Redmi Note 11 4G will come in Graphite Gray, Twilight Blue, and Star Blue colour options.
Thanks to the phone’s launch in China, we already know all about the other specifications of the phone. Redmi Note 11 4G comes with a MediaTek Helio G88 processor and a 6.5-inch FHD+ LCD panel. It features support for expandable storage via a microSD card, on top of the 128GB in-built storage.
For optics, the phone features a triple camera setup at the back, with a 50-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. There is an 8-megapixel selfie shooter at the front with a centred punch-hole cutout on the display.
The device is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging and 9W reverse charging support. It runs Android 11 based MIUI 12.5 custom OS out of the box. Other features include a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers and an IR blaster. Connectivity options on the Redmi Note 11 4G include 4G support , Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.


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If new reports are to be believed, then this year's Shanghai extravaganza could mark the last Victoria's Secret Fashion Show appearance for veteran angel Alessandra Ambrosio.
According to Fashionista, a handful of Victoria's Secret fan accounts and anonymous fashion blogger IMONATION are reporting that the 2017 show will be the last time the 36-year-old Brazilian model will walk the runway for the brand.
Alessandra and Victoria's Secret are yet to comment on or confirm these rumours, and yesterday the star appeared on the brand's official Instagram account as she joined fellow models Elsa Hosk, Martha Hunt and Lily Aldridge (along with 51 others) to scope out the 2017 show venue.
The road to this year's Victoria's Secret show certainly hasn't been without event. First, it was reported that four models (Julia Belyakova, Dasha Khlystum, Irina Sharipova and Kate Grigorieva) had been denied visas by the Chinese government; shortly after, fan favourite Gigi Hadid took to Twitter to confirm that she would no longer be able to travel to Shanghai (due to rumoured issues with her visa following the social media backlash around a racially insensitive Snapchat video).
Katy Perry, who had been slated to perform, was also hit by visa issues and no longer features in the show's line-up; instead, entertainment will come courtesy of Harry Styles, Miguel, Jane Zhang and Leslie Odom Jr. Various media outlets and bloggers have also reportedly found it difficult to acquire Chinese visas ahead of the show.
Alessandra has a long-standing relationship with Victoria's Secret, and is widely considered one of the best known and best loved Angels. She first appeared in the brand's 2005 show, and was shortly after revealed as the first spokesmodel for VS's PINK line.
She has been chosen to wear the infamous 'Fantasy' bra twice, and in 2011 made show history when she wore the heaviest wings ever designed for the event (at 30lb) - while pregnant with her second child.


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Apple announced its new Watch iteration today.
The Apple Watch Series 3 is a stand-alone cellular device that packs a ton of new features, including a new dual core processor that is 70 percent faster than its predecessor. Enhancements to the heart monitor include resting heart-rate and recovery heart-rate data capture, as well as proactive notifications if unusual heart rates or heart rhythms are detected. All data will be captured as part of the Apple Heart Study, in cooperation with Stanford University Medicine.
The new Watch OS 4 will enhance interactivity including access to 40 million songs through Apple Music and voice capabilities for Siri on the Watch for the first time.
Perhaps most importantly, the case for the series 3 Watch is almost exactly the same size as the previous model. Despite adding cellular antennas, a new W2 chip for more efficient Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity and an ambient microphone for cellular calls.
Battery life is 18 hours.
The Series 3 watch with cellular will retail for $399, without cellular $329, and Apple is reducing the price of the Series 1 Watch to $249. The new Watch will be available on Sept. 22.


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Summer Fridays, the indie influencer brand that took Sephora by storm last year, has received investment from Prelude Growth Partners.
WHO: Summer Fridays was launched in 2018 by influencers Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Gores Ireland in 2018 with one hero product, Jet Lag Mask, a Sephora exclusive. The brand has added two additional masks to the range, Overtime Mask and R+R Mask, as well as distribution partners Cult Beauty, Selfridges, and Mecca.
Prelude Growth Partners was formed in 2018 by Alicia Sontag and Neda Daneshzadeh to invest in consumer companies. Sontag was formerly Global President of Beauty at Johnson & Johnson and had spent more than a decade at the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc., while Daneshzadeh was a partner at L Catterton. Prelude makes growth capital and value-added operating support to fast-growing, high-potential consumer brands. The firm looks to make investments of $5 million to $15 million in companies across branded consumer categories such as beauty, personal care, health & wellness, food, beverage, and pet, among others. Their portfolio includes 8 Greens and Westman Atelier.
WHY: The capital is earmarked to build out the company’s team, new product development, expand international expansion, and expand marketing efforts.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “There’s been magic in building something using a nontraditional roadmap,” Gores said to WWD. “Marianna and I obviously don’t come from traditional beauty backgrounds, so we wanted partners who could guide us in those areas that we’re really unfamiliar with, while also pushing us to maintain our approach in using our intuition [and] using our ability to really ask our community what they want from the brand.”
“We were so fortunate to be able to launch with Sephora before we had even launched the brand, but the moment you go into such a large retailer you have to function like a large company very quickly,” Hewitt said to WWD. As a not-so-large company, she and Gores would call on Prelude for guidance, and eventually decided to take an investment in order to capitalize on the brand’s momentum.
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc., escalating its war against Amazon for online shoppers, has hired Denise Incandela, a veteran of upscale digital businesses, WWD has learned.Incandela will become senior vice president of fashion for Wal-Mart's U.S. e-commerce sites, which include Walmart.com, Jet.com and Shoes.com.She will join Wal-Mart on Oct. 2 and be based at the Hoboken, N.J. headquarters of Jet.com. She will report to Scott Hilton, chief revenue officer for Wal-Mart's U.S. e-commerce business."Fashion is a critical category for our e-commerce business given its importance to our customers," said Hilton. "She brings incredible leadership that will significantly enhance our efforts to create a specialty shopping experience for our millions of shoppers."Incandela is serving as interim chief executive officer of Aerosoles, which went bankrupt last week. Incandela has only been with Aerosoles since April.Before Aerosoles, Incandela served as president of Ralph Lauren Global Digital, leading the $700 million global consumer direct business. She stayed three years at Ralph Lauren until leaving reportedly due to some differences with management.Before joining Ralph Lauren in February 2014, Incandela spent more than 14 years at Saks Fifth Avenue in senior roles including executive vice president and president of Saks Direct. She is credited with building Saks' digital business from the ground up. Earlier at Saks, she served as chief marketing officer. She helped the company integrate marketing initiatives across its channels of business.Incandela, who lives in Manhattan, is considered a strategic thinker, numbers-oriented and said to be big on utilizing customer insights and data analytics for building businesses. She joined Saks Fifth Avenue in 1999, where she also held the titles of senior vice president of business development and group senior vice president.Prior to joining Saks, she was a consultant at McKinsey & Co., working in the retail practice.A year ago, Marc Lore, founder of Jet.com, sold the site to Wal-Mart for $3.3 billion and subsequently was named president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart’s e-commerce arm. Walmart.com sees up to 100 million unique visitors a month according to comScore.Wal-Mart also owns men's wear retailer Bonobos; home goods retailer Hayneedle; shoe retailer ShoeBuy; Modcloth, a vintage apparel-inspired retailer, and multichannel outerwear retailer Moosejaw. Wal-Mart operates e-commerce in 10 countries including the U.S.
In honor the @CFDA’s announcement of @iamnaomicampbell receiving the Fashion Icon Award at the 2018 #CFDAAwards, which will take place on June 4, here’s a #tbt of the supermodel on @michaelkors’ runway in 1991. #wwdfashion #wwdarchive (📷: George Chinsee)
“I was making the guacamole when my scout saw me,” says model @stuckinteenage on being discovered just six months ago while working at @chipotlemexicangrill. Since then Williams has signed with @dnamodels, walked in her first show at @calvinklein and landed on the cover of @vogueitalia – a high point of any model’s career. To read @lisajlockwood’s full interview with the model on her experiences thus far, head to WWD.com – link in bio. (📷: George Chinsee)
“I love the idea of dialogue, period. It’s where I’ve always gotten my inspiration from: hearing other women speak, their journeys and their paths,” said @hereisgina, who delivered the keynote speech during @sxsw for @createcultivate in partnership with @fossil. For her two panels, Rodriguez chose female empowering, female-led and female entrepreneurs to focus on. Head to WWD.com to read more about her thoughts on Time’s Up, growing up in a family of women and why we “need a girls’ club.” #wwdeye #sxsw (📷: @jgreenery)
Leading luxury brand are shaking things up to keep up with streetwear. Case in point: the arrival of @mrkimjones as artistic director of @diorhomme. Jones, who succeeds @Kris_Van_Assche, is seen as one of the handful of designers who can actually straddle the luxury and streetwear worlds — which could lead to even more changes at established brands. What could this mean for the rest of the menswear landscape? Head to WWD.com to find out what experts predict #wwdfashion (📷: @franckmura)
“It’s like buying groceries. You’re going to buy the best mango, the best mozzarella, the best things. You have to, or others are going to take it all,” said @gabrielahearst on why she uses only the finest fabrics. Last week, Hearst received her first @cfda nomination for Womenswear Designer of the Year, and earlier this month she opened a permanent showroom in Paris. To read @jessiredale’s interview with the designer and find out why this is shaping up to be a big year for her, head to WWD.com. #wwdfashion (📷: @francoisgoize)
“It’s an interesting thing, playing a younger version of your mother. It’s an interesting concept. I adore my mom and love her in every capacity, but it was just something that had never crossed my mind,” says @anniemstarke on playing a young Joan Castleman in “The Wife.” The same role will be played by her mother Glenn Close. Read more about her growing up in the film industry as the daughter of producer John H. Starke and Close and what she has planned for the future #wwdeye (📷: @nataliamantini)
@asics is launching a new streetwear sneaker inspired by its latest ambassador, @steveaoki. The Hyper-Kenzen x Aoki, which will launch at @footlocker stores exclusively tomorrow, is a slip-on style that incorporates the brand’s proprietary Gel technology through beads integrated into the midsole for comfort and endurance. Read the full story on WWD.com.